Chipotle Cheddar Baked Salmon (or Tempeh!)

If I am making a fish or chicken dinner for Ryan, I’ll often make a vegetarian version using the same flavors for myself.  I wanted to try this baked salmon recipe I found on the Brianna’s dressing website the other day, and decided a nice slab of tempeh would be a good substitute for salmon.  I prepared the tempeh and the salmon exactly the same way (see below) but in the end, my tempeh was not as moist the salmon, which was bubbling in a nice pool of sauce when we took it out of the oven.  No big deal, though…I just added more sauce on top of my tempeh at the end.   I asked Ryan about a million times if the salmon was good and he assured me it was delicious and that he’d love to eat it again—that’s the hardest part about cooking meat when you don’t eat it—I have no idea if it needed more spice, more sauce, less of anything, etc.

We ate this last night with a side of the bruschetta casserole.

Chipotle Cheddar Baked Salmon (or Tempeh!)
(Modified slightly from Brianna’s dressing)

Ingredients:

1 half-pound salmon fillet (Note: If you are using tempeh, follow the same directions below but top the tempeh with another drizzle of sauce after cooking)

Lemon juice to taste (about 1 tbsp)

Dill to taste (a few pinches)

Smoked paprika to taste (a few pinches)

Non-stick spray

Brianna’s Chipotle Cheddar Dressing (1-2 tbsp)

Method:

Place salmon piece on foil that has been coated with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with paprika and dill, and add lemon juice to taste and 1–2 tablespoons of  Chipotle Cheddar Dressing.

Fold foil to envelope all and seal by curling the ends together. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Open the foil envelope and allow the top to broil for 3–4 minutes more.